If you live in a struggling community, you may be familiar with some ways that your community doesn’t have the same resources as more affluent areas. What you may not realize is that these resource discrepancies can have a significant impact on your health. Here are a few factors that can negatively affect the health of people living in struggling communities:
Unhealthy housing conditions
Unhealthy housing conditions directly impact the health and well-being of people living in struggling communities. Poor-quality dwellings can expose occupants to various airborne contaminants, resulting in increased cases of respiratory illness, allergies, asthma, and other serious medical issues.
In addition, structural defects like leaky roofs or crumbling foundations can cause mold to flourish and dampen walls, leading to higher risks of bronchitis and even Legionnaires’ disease. The substandard insulation from drafty windows and doors can also result in extreme temperature fluctuations that cause joint pain, headaches, and even heat exhaustion in humid climates. Further exacerbating these issues are the behaviors of property owners who often fail to address safety hazards or sanitary deficiencies until the government steps in to enforce proper standards.
To remedy these issues, investing in improving your community’s derelict housing stock is important. This can include upgrading plumbing and electrical systems, repairing structural damage, and installing efficient insulation. Additionally, increasing awareness among residents of the importance of making their homes more environmentally friendly can help combat air pollution caused by old furnaces and outdated appliances.
Lack of access to healthy food and clean water
Access to basic resources like healthy food and clean water can be a major challenge in places where poverty is rampant. Without easy access to these resources, people in these communities quickly experience the consequences of malnutrition, dehydration, and poor hygiene. When food is scarce, people in struggling communities may lack essential vitamins and minerals, leaving them vulnerable to disease and depriving their bodies of energy for work and growth.
To address these issues, community leaders should implement programs encouraging residents to eat healthily and follow food safety practices. This can include initiatives like installing community gardens or nutritional education workshops and providing greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables through local markets and food pantries.
In communities where clean water is scarce, authorities must also improve the delivery of this vital resource, either through constructing new pipelines or maintaining current infrastructure. Residential water filtration systems can also be installed in people’s homes. This will filter out contaminants, regulate water pressure, and even prevent limescale buildup in pipes and faucets. This will give residents of a struggling community clean water with which to cook, clean, and drink.
High levels of stress
Living in a community facing serious economic and social issues can be a source of tremendous stress for many individuals. Studies have shown that people living in these types of communities have substantially higher chronic and acute stress levels than those living in more affluent areas. This, in turn, can increase the risk of developing physical and mental health problems.
High stress levels are often associated with poor diet, lack of exercise, and unhealthy behaviors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. It can also lead to lower morale and despair, making it difficult for people to gain meaningful employment or feel connected to their community.
To help mitigate the negative impacts of this type of stress, research suggests that providing educational resources, supportive services, and access to mental healthcare is key to improving overall health outcomes for individuals in struggling communities. Making an effort to create meaningful connections within the community has also been linked to improved mental well-being for all involved.
Exposure to toxins
Struggling communities can often be at greater risk when it comes to exposure to toxins. In many cases, the limited financial resources of the region can mean that basic sanitation and waste disposal are either inadequate or non-existent. As such, toxic substances can build up in the local environment leading to an increased risk of exposure and potential health problems. The compounds may come from industrial sources, common household items, or environmental pollutants. Once inside a person’s body, these toxins are difficult to remove and could lead to long-term health disorders such as liver or kidney damage, cancer, respiratory disorders, or neurological defects. Moreover, newborns and children may be especially vulnerable due to their developing bodies and organs.
Fortunately, there are steps that people living in these communities can take to reduce their exposure to toxins. This includes eating clean produce free of chemical additives and reducing dependence on plastic containers and products containing volatile organic compounds. It also means ensuring proper safety procedures are followed by local industry workers and reducing pollution in nearby waterways.
These are just a few ways poverty can negatively impact health. If you live in a struggling community or you know people that do, it’s important to be aware of the factors that are adversely affecting health so that you can take steps to protect yourself or the people in the community. Being proactive and taking preventative measures can help promote a healthier lifestyle for all.
